Enoch Burke returns to school for new academic year

The Westmeath teacher was back at Wilson’s Hospital School on Thursday morning despite just being released out of jail last month.

Burke, who has been in a four-year-long legal dispute with the school, has spent more than 700 days in jail over repeated breaches of court orders.

The teacher has been in and out of jail on a number of occasions in recent years after repeatedly defying injunctions banning him from entering the grounds.

This week, as schools returned for the new academic year, Burke was back on the grounds of the school he once taught at.

Burke was dressed in his familiar school attire of navy trousers and a navy jacket as he was spotted by the door of the school on Thursday morning.

It comes not long after it was revealed the teacher owes a total of €208,268.17 in fines.

The dismissed teacher had owed €273,200, though €64,931.83 was paid back partly through his salary from the Department of Education being redirected.

Last month, Burke appeared before Judge Brian Cregan via video link and was seen talking animatedly after the court placed his video on mute.

Judge Cregan said Burke had ‘wasted 700 days of his life in prison’ and the teacher had ‘damaged’ his reputation through his rejection of court orders.

‘All of this happened because of a senseless and misguided campaign to breach a court order,’ the judge said. ‘None of this would have happened if Mr Burke had attended the school every day (as he said he had to do), but remained outside the school property and obeyed court orders.

‘However, as Mr Burke has discovered, the rule of law applies to everybody, including Mr Burke.’

The former history and German teacher was dismissed from the school in May following a lengthy dispute.

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.